this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2025
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Debunking the grey market beyond Steam (www.gamesindustry.biz)
submitted 2 days ago by misk@sopuli.xyz to c/games@sh.itjust.works
176 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Despite facing increased competition in the space, not least from the Epic Games Store, Valve's platform is synonymous with PC gaming. The service is estimated to have made $10.8 billion in revenue during 2024, a new record for the Half-Life giant. Since it entered the PC distribution space back in 2018, the rival Epic Games Store has been making headway – and $1.09 billion last year – but Steam is still undeniably dominant within the space.

Valve earns a large part of its money from taking a 20-30% cut of sales revenue from developers and publishers. Despite other storefronts opening with lower overheads, Steam has stuck with taking this slice of sales revenue, and in doing so, it has been argued that Valve is unfairly taking a decent chunk of the profits of developers and publishers.

This might change, depending on how an ongoing class-action lawsuit initiated by Wolfire Games goes, but for the time being, Valve is making money hand over fist selling games on Steam. The platform boasts over 132 million users, so it's perfectly reasonable that developers and publishers feel they have to use Steam – and give away a slice of their revenue – in order to reach the largest audience possible.

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[–] misk@sopuli.xyz 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

No. GOG, EGS, Humble and anyone else who wants to join in and offer a store that connects to Valve backend. That store calls backend to check who owns what, pays them for downloads (base/updates/dlc) and that’s it. It would make Steam monopoly crumble in an instant, prices go down because stores compete on things that matter to consumers. Stores need to compete for developers too. Win win win.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Wait but you can link Humble to steam and it checks what games you already own.

GOG wants you to just have the local game files and an installer so they don't need this and don't need Valve's backend. Why pay valve for each download when you can host it yourself and not worry about the fee? Itch seems to agree with that.

And then wouldn't everyone still be using Valve as a backend and they would have a monopoly on the infrastructure of all game downloads then? And could charge high rates to download?

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Humble still has to charge you entire Valve’s cut this way. 30% is way more than the real infra cost.

Valve backend is effectively a public utility in this scenario. This thing has been proven to work and bring prices down fast. Actual free market.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It wouldn't be a public utility they would be a company that needs to make a profit still and would find a way to do so with fees on downloads.

And humble does not pay the 30% if you buy in their storefront currently.

So your complaint is that prices are high and getting rid of Steam would alter that?

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Monopolies that were broken down this way were private companies. You’re making an argument against something that’s proven to work. You don’t really support it well (or at all).

How do you know Humble gets any discount?

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Consider me not in your head to understand your perspective and try to get it across clearly to me. No sarcasm or condescending tone.
I do not see how these are comparable and don't think of steam as a utility that owns the singular option for infrastructure as it's a digital service that others can and will spin up to avoid using Steams backend.
They literally don't have to.

And sure I am welcome to information if it is accurate and you have it.

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You have a whole Wikipedia article that describes this into detail. I’m making an effort, you’re making none. Looks like sealioning to me.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I am asking you to explain your point. You can not rely on making others do your work for you.

That is you obstructing your point through others. Make your point and make it clearly since you seem insistent on doing so.
Effort is not dropping a link and thinking it argues on your behalf.

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sealion.

[–] Krauerking@lemy.lol 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Right. Ok then. You have wasted enough of your time. I hope you figure out how to make your life less miserable through actions rather than complaints.

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I’m having fun because I don’t need to make up things to compensate for debilitating cognitive dissonance.

[–] yuri@pawb.social 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

turns out if you skew definitions enough, anything can be the truth!

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz -1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

You’re still hung up that there’s consensus on anarchism and libertarianism being so generic terms that they’re near synonymous? I mean, if you made some arguments to the contrary then this comment would carry some weight. Other than that, please see comment you responded to again, it’s applicable to you too.

[–] vinceman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What the fuck are you talking about? It's well known history that the right wing in the United States saw how successful the word was in leftist movements and aped it as their own word. If that's the kind of research you do you make people dumber. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarianism

Libertarianism in the United States (1943 - 1980s) H. L. Mencken and Albert Jay Nock were the first prominent figures in the United States to describe themselves as libertarian as synonym for liberal. They believed that Franklin D. Roosevelt had co-opted the word liberal for his New Deal policies which they opposed and used libertarian to signify their allegiance to classical liberalism, individualism and limited government.[166]

LITERALLY YOU WERE INSULTING PEOPLE FOR NOT READING WIKIPEDIA

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz 0 points 22 hours ago (1 children)
[–] yuri@pawb.social 2 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

i’m still not sure you’ve read that page

[–] vinceman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 13 hours ago

I'm 100% sure they haven't.

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz 1 points 12 hours ago

Your point being? You need to use words, not vague accusations.